Single Review: Taylor Swift, “Call It What You Want”

In the wee hours of the morning, Taylor Swift dropped “Call It What You Want,” her best song since 2014.

“Call It What You Want” is a sparse pop ballad that returns to the Taylor we all fell in love with. These are her best lyrics since 1989; “All my flowers grew back as thorns/windows boarded up after the storm,” is the kind of heartbreakingly beautiful lyric that Taylor perfected on Red but lost for a moment with the reputation pre-singles. While “Look What You Made Me Do” and “…Ready For It?” were too sonically clustered and jarring, and “Gorgeous” was a lyrical monstrosity, “Call It What You Want,” plays perfectly to all of Taylor’s strengths.

From sharp lyricism to soft vocals, “Call It What You Want,” is a home run for Swift. The production is also stellar; Jack Antonoff created the perfect sonic atmosphere for Taylor’s voice on this track. Hopefully, this success means the reputation era is getting somewhat back on track.

SCORE: 84